Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Cordova.
Hi Joseph, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an attorney and project manager with Florida Legal Services. This nonprofit legal organization serves vulnerable communities throughout Florida with various legal representation and advocacy services. My specific project focuses on Fair Housing. This means I help tenants to identify housing providers to prevent discriminatory practices in housing. To do this, our team conducts various education and outreach events. We host trainings and presentations, participate in resource fairs and events, and often get creative with our partners to have a consistent and visible presence in communities so people can access our services. I attended law school at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, where I obtained an Equal Justice Works Fellowship. After graduating from law school, I spent two years working with immigrants and farmworker communities, offering free legal services. During this time, I took on unique immigration cases and, at the same time, built a network of wonderful partners who helped strengthen community ties and advocacy services.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was a non-traditional student in law school. I was 35 when I started, making me about 13 years older than most classmates. I also had four children and commuted to campus about an hour daily. While many saw these as obstacles, these variables helped me focus more efficiently. I woke up at 4 am to do my homework and did my best to never open a book on the weekends. I had to classify my time to ensure everything got the focused attention it needed. This was a terrific skill to gain because, as an attorney, work means transitioning your mind and efforts several times throughout the day. And recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to start teaching at Flagler College, which means the efficiency of time and focus is once again more necessary than before. So yes, law school was challenging, but my experience set me up for greater success later on.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I manage a fair housing project. Our efforts are driven by what is referred to as Community Lawyering. This means that we don’t wait for clients to find us. Still, instead, we put ourselves out into the community in various ways, such as open community office hours at the Farmworkers Association, participation in community food drives, routine training, workshops at libraries and partner offices, and so much more. In turn, we build trust and familiarity with communities in need. Once established, people and their advocates feel more comfortable making referrals and bringing us their stories. This allows us to assess the situation better and provides legal advice and guidance for discovering remedies and solutions to issues related to housing discrimination. Often, the story means helping the client understand their rights so that they can better advocate for themselves. Other times, the situation calls for direct representation. We are most proud of the dozens upon dozens of partnerships we’ve built throughout our project region, which helps us to have a series of ‘hubs’ in every county and zip code we travel to and allows us to build upon the great work so many other organizations are already doing.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The incredible history of diversity. While history itself has had a roller coaster ride predating the civil rights era, we are living in a unique time where that history is again being brought to light. The Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center, Compassionate St. Augustine, and Jacksonville’s very active Black History Month events and activities are just a few examples of how the city and its surrounding areas put these stories back into our consciousness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.floridalegal.org/fairhousing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridalegalservicesinc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/florida-legal-services
